Recently began cold emailing alums and some recruiters and it's usually hit or miss. I know that there are times when your mailbox is practically full and there's just too much work to do - I'll probably won't hear from you (which I understand).
I was wondering what you all would prefer to see in an email. What would grab your attention enough to want to meet/call i.e., how forward should one be with what they're looking for without looking pretentious? If you don't answer, can I attempt to email you again in a few weeks?
bump
whats an example of a thought out ask
For e.g: "I've been following transactions in the X space and I'd love to get your views. Can we catch up for a quick coffee? I'll keep it brief (20 min)".
2 important ones mentioned above: Some common ground - school, fraternity, hometown, etc. - and a referral.
To be honest, one of the biggest ones for me is totally out of your control: how busy I am when the email comes through. If I'm having a bad day getting a ton of BS from my VP, I'm just gonna say fuck this kid's email and forget about it. If it's slower, then I'll happily respond. If that first case happens, then it's important for you to follow up in a week or two - or better, if you had a referral introduction (that you're close enough), ask them to bother me about it.
Is there anything that would completely turn you off from responding?
I know some people that go as far as attaching a resume... (risky, imo but nevertheless confident?)
I will never understand this. If you are emailing someone who doesn't know you and asking for their time, isn't it the least you can do to attach your resume (or at the very least your linkedin profile) so that the person can have an idea of your background and whether you're worth meeting. Particularly if I don't have any connection to someone, I really need to make sure ahead of time that I wouldn't be wasting my time, hence why attaching a resume is important.
Other things that turn me off or annoy me: long messages (you should be able to make your point in 2, maybe 3 sentences at most), attempts to cold call me, creepy behavior (if you don't know me, don't trawl my linkedin / social media so that you can bring something up about my background, it's just really creepy).
I like seeing the resumes to determine if the conversation is worth having. I guess it's risky to send if your resume is crap.
Mistakes and emails that are too generic turn me off. At least try to vary the sentence structure from a template. Seen a lot of clear copy-pastes (can tell from weird formatting, buddy next to me who got the same exact email, addressed to the wrong person), which are easy turn offs.
I have started getting some cold emails recently and usually I respond if: a. It is not full of acronyms b. Written by someone who is studying something I find interesting (Sciences, mathematics, etc. Liberal arts will get you put in the spam filter) c. Does not write it such a way as to suggest they are entitled to my time.
d. The emails arrives when I'm a little board, or waiting at a hotel, airport etc.
Then I always call straight away when I get the email to see how the sender can react on their feet and take it from there.
Damn, I can't say that I've ever dealt with such a forward approach–definitely have to prepare for this in the near future
I like that approach. When I was networking I would always save the contact information (work and cell) of the people I was reaching out to so if they called I could answer with their name, which can catch them off guard (in a good way).
Take a look at my networking overview. I almost always respond to cold emails, but two things that will definitely make me not respond are if your email is poorly worded (e.g. spelling mistakes, demanding that I help you, or too long) or if you're a lost cause. I would love to help everyone, but if you're a senior with a terrible GPA and no prior experience, no amount of help from me will help you break into IB, and I would rather spend my limited time helping those who have a chance, but just need a little boost.
Sil 's networking overview is GOLD.
I think overall, being polite, direct, to the point and proper is the best way to grab someone's attention. Always looking for a shred of common ground to connect with (best case scenario being undergrad/school) and most will want to help someone who is in the shoes they used to be in.
If someone doesn't e-mail you back, I think a follow up within 1.5-2 weeks is safe. Depending on how badly you want to be in touch with them, you could follow up a third time also. A lot of the time, people are just very busy, or they're assholes. Take your pick.
I've seen a lot of incorrect advice over here.
I'm not going to be reading your resume or checking your LinkedIn if I'm reading it on the phone, and this happens more often than not.
I will look for a good reason to see if there's a particular connect between you and I.
Also agree with Binders advice. I won't reply to your mail unless I'm free. You're best off mailing me on a weekday morning or late afternoon. Don't mail me on Mondays or Fridays. That's when we crush the IB guys with work.
IMO always include a resume
I believe including a resume in a cold/networking e-mail is a gamble. Many people want to speak to someone to network with them, and while the underlying thought behind the contact (initiation of it) is "help me get a job" or something similar, it could easily be seen as too forward and a lack of "respect" maybe, even. It depends.
I've done both and to be honest, I don't think it's too possible to really gauge how to do it best. People are different. You can roughly gauge whether or not to attach a resume depending on your e-mail, i.e. are you asking about opportunities at XYZ firm, or are you simply looking to jump on the phone with this person?
As for a must to include, definitely something that will show an inclination of a common ground connection. People want to talk with people they can relate to. Doesn't matter if you're at their alma matter, are from their cultural background, etc.
Hi, what would be your advice on networking for someone who graduated without IB/consulting experience? I assume other people in my situation don't have a list of contacts to reach out to, so is LinkedIn the best way to approach industry professionals?
Thanks!
The best advice I have on networking in your position would be to invest in LinkedIn Premium (the recruiter version so you can search with filters) which IIRC is about $550 a year or so. It is a small price to pay when you consider it a beneficial investment in your long-term career. I also recommend taking as much time as you can to better yourself as a candidate and plump your resume, via certifications, extras, and whatever else you could do.
Depending on your alma matter, you can use LinkedIn to more selectively search for people that you can reach out to using the filters (across various firms, industries, key words, etc). Many people will be at different firms, and I recommend purchasing WSO's IB (or whatever industry) Prep Pack so you have access to WSO's material + the company database. The database has most firm email formats, so you can send a targeted cold e-mail to the prospective contacts you hope to make. This was always my method and I favor it, and personally don't like LinkedIn Messaging too much. Email all the way. Also, the prep pack will probably include a comprehensive networking guide which can be useful for beginners.
Good luck!
This has happened to me 2/3x these past few weeks: I message/connect an analyst on LinkedIn and ask for a few minutes of their time, they respond by saying sure and to email them my resume at (their firm email) to set up a time to chat, I do it, then I don't hear from them.
I'm guessing I just send it at a busy time but I don't know how to go forward. Should I send another email to them to follow up or message them again on LinkedIn and say I emailed them but never heard back?
Maybe they saw your resume and got turned off – apparently (as other people in this thread have said) some might get dissuaded. Or they're just busy. Can't hurt to follow up, but I am strongly against LinkedIn messaging and very heavily prefer e-mailing contacts, as then it's easier to follow up, keep records in one place, etc.
If this has continued happening and you think it could possibly be because of your resume, maybe you should have another set of eyes look it over? Who knows. At one point, I thought my resume was immaculate also, but it's always worth having others give it a read over with a new set of eyes.
For what it's worth, never be worried about following up with someone you're reaching out to – chances are they could have forgotten or gotten busy, or just haven't seen your e-mail. A quick two-sentence follow up e-mail never hurts.
That was my initial thought, although my resume basically re-states whatever is on my LinkedIn profile and I have decent GPA/experiences even though I go to a very unknown school. For sure I will have someone look over it and follow up soon.
i come from a small European country, but studied in the US. As others pointed above, I usually respond to: same country or same school or some interesting "hook" in the email
Follow up is crucial. When I was a college student, I hit up every firm I could, trying to reach out to different people at the firm if the first people I contacted didn't respond, but as a banker now, I consistently get swamped with work and genuinely don't have the time to reply or push it off. Not only does the follow up help when the cold email gets pushed to the wayside by work, but it also helps me to distinguish who is seriously interested.
Beyond that, if the email gets specific in terms of referencing one of my firm's deals or something about me they gleaned from our company website or somewhere else, I appreciate that a lot, but don't necessarily expect it because I never got that granular in my mass emails.
This is great, thank you
For me, the following tend to get the best responses:
1) Conciseness - make it quick and simple. People are busy and the quicker you get the point, the better. 2) Enthusiasm- give a compelling reason for me to help out. It may be your accomplishments, your interest in the industry (e.g. touch upon a recent company event.....for example a recent M&A), etc. 3) Personalized - it helps a lot when I don't feel like the cold email is pure spam. Don't just cut-and-paste; add some customization to the specific individual. 4) Polite - essentially recognize the person is busy and offer some alternatives. For example: talking over email, referring you directly to the recruiter/HR, etc.
One particular helpful email I used as an undergrad was asking about classes. Essentially, I was interested in consulting and emailed several alums asking what classes they found the most useful for their jobs and what professors they liked the most. This proved a good segue to conversations about careers and recruiting.
Final note: I personally answer almost all cold emails as: (a) I feel "what goes around comes around" and (b) since I've been helped in the past by people simply out of the goodness of their heart, I do feel the need to pay it forward.
I like your general advice—thank you. I will definitely keep these in mind.
Additionally, did you have any specific approach if you were given an email through a referral?
Usually it's best to get that referral to email the contact and introduce you. They can cc you and make a comment to the effect of "I'll let you two get in touch and take things from here."
I'd like to see all this done in a concise 2-3 sentence manner.
A bit of a silly question, but what's considered too long of an cold email? I keep my networking emails to be less than 140 words (5-7 sentences) and have had a decent response rate, but nothing amazing and was always curious if my emails were too long?
I always respond if they include nudes. But I'll only grab coffee with them if they have a nice piece of ass!
Seems legit
Ran out of LinkedIn InMail credits...anyone have any success with guessing email formats??
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